Under his breath, he muttered darkly,
"I knew she would cause trouble sooner or later."
The guard silently lowered his head.
Pretending he had heard absolutely nothing.
⸻
At the same time, the news spread throughout the Xi Manor.
Servants rushed from courtyard to courtyard.
Lanterns lit up one after another.
People who had already fallen asleep were suddenly awakened by the commotion.
Old Madam Zhao Rui was helped out of bed.
Xi Jianyu was informed immediately.
Lin Meiyun hurriedly put on a cloak before rushing outside.
Xi Lanyin and Xi Qianqian were startled awake.
Xi Yunhao and Xi Yunchen quickly left their rooms.
Even Xi Ronghua, Gu Zhen, Gu Xing, Gu Yue, and little Xi Anran were alarmed by the chaos.
Within minutes, nearly the entire Xi family was rushing toward Su Yueqing’s courtyard.
The moment they arrived—
Everyone froze.
The fire was enormous.
Bright orange flames devoured the night sky.
The kitchen was already completely engulfed.
Fire climbed along wooden beams like hungry beasts.
Several nearby rooms had already caught fire as well.
Thick black smoke billowed upward.
The heat was so intense that even people standing far away could feel it on their faces.
Servants ran back and forth carrying buckets of water.
Guards shouted instructions.
The courtyard was in complete chaos.
"Hurry!"
"Bring more water!"
"The eastern side is catching fire!"
"Move those boxes!"
"The roof is collapsing!"
The frantic cries echoed everywhere.
Xi Jianyu’s face darkened instantly.
"What happened here?"
The nearby servants immediately knelt.
"This servant does not know, Duke!"
Xi Jianyu’s expression became even uglier.
He stared at the burning buildings before him.
The flames reflected in his eyes.
Then Lin Meiyun suddenly frowned.
Something felt wrong.
Her gaze swept across the crowd.
Then her heart sank.
"Where is Yueqing?"
The moment those words left her mouth—
The entire courtyard became strangely quiet.
Several servants exchanged nervous looks.
No one answered.